Sleepless Nights
by oncoming-neatly-folded-swan
Summary: (Short, happens the night after The Static.) McKenzie is having trouble adjusting to life in the TARDIS, so The Doctor decides to help. First in a long line of cute side stories that establish their relationship inside the TARDIS. Fluff because I just can't help myself.


McKenzie rolled over in bed, the music playing downstairs had woken her up. It was a familiar tune she hadn't heard since–

She sat up abruptly and looked around, "No..." she said, "No!"

She jumped out of bed and frantically ran around the room, she was back in her room in the hotel.

She punched the walls, "Let me out! LET ME OUT!" she screamed and ran down the stairs but stopped when she got to the bar. She dropped to her knees and almost cried, there were messages scrawled over every available inch of the walls.

 _'You're here forever.' 'You're mine.' 'He isn't real!'_

"No... Please..." she closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair, how could this be happening? She shook her head violently trying to make it all go away.

McKenzie opened her eyes and realised she was curled up in her bed, in her room, in the TARDIS. She sighed, that was her third nightmare this week, it was almost like every time she closed her eyes she was back in that hotel, never been saved... never met The Doctor.

She shivered and jumped out of bed, trying to shake the thought from her mind, she left for the console room.

The console room was dark, darker than usual. Almost as if the lights had been switched off. But McKenzie had no idea where the light usually came from. Apart from the console itself, the tall pillar that emitted the eerie blue light that she found so calming.

"Doctor...?" she asked.

"Down here." he said from below the console.

She walked past the console and down the stairs around the edge of the console room. There was a small bit of space underneath the console that was covered in wires, cables and other extremely impossible looking technology. But McKenzie found she understood it all. The Doctor was hanging upside down from the ceiling and holding on with one hand, while working on the underside of the console with the other.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"Yeah..." she wrapped her arms around herself and awkwardly shuffled in her place.

"Bad dreams again?"

"Yeah– Wait, how did you know about that?"

He stopped abruptly and his eyes widened, he tried desperately not to think because he knew she could read him like a book... somehow.

"You told me...?" he said slowly.

"No I didn't." she raised her eye brow at him suspiciously.

He laughed awkwardly and looked down, or rather up at her, "Uh, um–" he mumbled, a little taken aback by her appearance. She was wearing one of his white shirts, as she usually did when she slept, so he could see most of her legs but this time she had pulled her hair back out of her face, he could also see all of her face, which was usually covered by her fringe. Most importantly he could see her eyes, they glowed brightly in the low light around them and he caught her gaze, rendering him a little mesmerised.

He laughed a little as he admired her and went to brush his hair out of his face. Of course he accidentally let go of his hand hold, leaving him hanging upside down by his legs from underneath the console.

McKenzie rolled her eyes and stepped closer to him, "Don't think you're getting off that easy. You read my diary." she poked him hard in the chest making him swing back a little.

"Only a little bit?" he tried to smile innocently as blood rushed to his head.

"Who said you could read it at all?"

"It fell open!"

"It's a holo-journal..."

"You left it open?"

McKenzie sighed and went to leave.

"Oh, no wait, you can't just leave me here!"

She stopped and raised an eye brow.

"McKenzie! Napkin Girl...?"

She stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his cheek, she laughed a little and stood almost nose to nose close to him.

"Actually... I was thinking I might leave you up here... for a bit. Seeing as you might need a little... punishment."

He gulped and looked up at her, "Huh, yep?" he squeaked.

She grinned and placed her hand on his chest. Moving it up his body and slowly slid into his pocket. He stared straight ahead, unable to move, unable to tell what was about to happen. She took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and pointed it to one of the joints on the pole he was hanging from, it snapped sending him crashing to the floor.

"Ugh." he sat up and rubbed his head, "I don't think I deserved _that_."

McKenzie laughed and helped him up, "Come on then, explain."

"What?" he asked.

"I know you had a reason, what was it?"

"I'll show you." he took her hand and lead her up the stairs and out of the console room, "You seemed a little uncomfortable, your first few nights here. I knew to expect that your sleeping pattern would be off, but this seemed different. I knew you wouldn't tell me so I maaay have read your diary." he put his hands up to try and defend himself, McKenzie laughed and rolled her eyes, "So I thought I'd do something to try and make you feel a little more comfortable here." they came to a door McKenzie had not seen before, he put his hand out indicating her to try the door.

"Ok..." she said suspiciously, opening the door.

Inside was a workshop, much like from her old one at Planet Link, just with a bronzey steampunky look to it, like the rest of The Doctor's TARDIS.

"Oh wow!" McKenzie said walking around the room, "This is... this is amazing!" she looked around excitedly at all the gadgets, "I've always wanted one of these, and this! And... I don't even know what _this_ is but I know I'll find out!" she gasped, "I can work on all my ideas!" she ran out of the room and ran back in dropping a trail of papers behind her.

The Doctor laughed as she dumped the pile on the desk in the middle of the room.

"I can work on my wristbands, I've been meaning to give them a tune up..." she ran out and back in again this time with her glasses on and nearly tripped over her own feet in her excitement, "So much to do!" she grinned and placed her wristbands on the desk. She stopped and turned to The Doctor, she threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug, "Thank you... so much, this means the world to me."

They looked into each other's eyes and suddenly realised how close they were. McKenzie giggled and stepped back, trying to hide her reddening cheeks.

"Oh well..." he grinned, "Am I forgiven?"

McKenzie looked up at him, "Yeah, just about."


End file.
